Bucks County "Idol' fights to reach finale;
If Justin Guarini makes tonight's cut, he'll vie for a recording deal.
Naomi Kim
Morning Call (Allentown, PA) August 28, 2002

After months of performing in front of judges, studio audiences and the entire nation, Justin Guarini of Doylestown Township will learn tonight if he's made it to the season finale of the Fox television show "American Idol."

If Justin survives this week's cuts, he will compete next week against either Kelly Clarkson or Nikki McKibbin for a major recording contract.

"Justin said his goal is to make it to the final 10," his mother, Kathy Guarini, said in a telephone interview Monday. "He's already reached his goals so everything at this point is gravy."

Regardless of tonight's outcome, exposure from the show has opened many doors for the 23-year-old. Justin and fellow contestants graced the cover of the Aug. 9 issue of Entertainment Weekly and have made guest appearances on the Teen Choice Awards and MTV's Video Music Awards, which airs Thursday. Guarini also appeared at City Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday to sign autographs and meet his fans.

Kathy Guarini has been in Los Angeles with Justin's stepfather, Jerry Guarini, since Justin became a finalist. She said she and her husband talk to Justin every few days, but only see him about once a week. Justin's birth father, Eldrin Bell, who lives in Atlanta, Ga., has also been in the audience in recent weeks cheering him on, she said.

Worn out from his summerlong stint on "American Idol," Justin was happy to sleep in his own bed last week after his visit to Philadelphia, Kathy Guarini said. It was the first time he got to spend time with his family since the show premiered June 11.

Win or lose, Justin, along with the other nine finalists, is set to tour after the show's end and complete an "American Idol" CD.

Justin, born in Atlanta, Ga., is the youngest of eight children. He graduated in 1997 from Central Bucks High School East. Justin attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for two years before transferring to the School for Film & Television in New York for a year before returning home.

Once home, Justin sold alarm systems and worked as a party promoter for Cutting Edge Entertainment in Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County. Before learning that he'd made the cut for "American Idol," he was offered a chorus role in the Broadway musical "The Lion King."

With the recent media spotlight on viewers possibly skewing votes by using power dialing technology, logging up to 10,000 calls, Kathy Guarini said she was concerned. However, she said she was reassured after learning that producers can intercede if voters get out of hand.

Kathy Guarini said she was stunned that finalist Tamyra Gray was booted off the show last week. "We were very shocked that Tamyra was kicked off because she had been consistently right on top. We actually thought she had the most superior vocals of anyone on the show."

She added that Justin is nervous about song selection, which judges have said is the most important element right now. She disagreed with judge Simon Cowell's critique that Justin's performance last week of "P.Y.T." was a bad impersonation of Michael Jackson.

In the meantime, Kathy Guarini said Justin enjoys hanging out with fellow contestants. He's attended church with Tamyra Gray several times and went shopping with Kelly Clarkson. She said rumors had been brewing in Los Angeles that Justin and Clarkson were dating, but they were false.

Although Kathy Guarini is happy with Justin's success, she said as a parent, it's difficult to let her son go.

"If he does win, it will mark the beginning of his adult recording life," she said. "It's painful, but it's something you want as a parent. We're very blessed that he's gotten this opportunity with "American Idol."